ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Home Affairs
Cabinet approves agreement between India and Brazil on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the Agreement between the Republic of India and the Federative Republic of Brazil on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters has to be signed.
2. The Agreement aims to enhance effectiveness of both the countries in investigation and prosecution of crime through cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. In the context of transnational crime and its linkages to terrorism, the proposed Agreement will provide a broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation with the Federative Republic of Brazil in investigation and prosecution of crime as well as in tracing, restraint and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime as well as the fund meant to finance terrorist acts.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav Intervenes at the Closing Plenary of COP 27
The Closing Plenary of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties  of the UNFCCC was held today at Sharm El-Sheikh. The conference which was held with the view to building on the previous successes and paving the way for future ambition concluded with countries coming together to take action towards achieving the world’s collective climate goals. The leader of Indian delegation and the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav made the intervention.
“Mr President,
You are presiding over a historic COP where agreement has been secured for loss and damage funding arrangements including setting up a loss and damage fund. The world has waited far too long for this. We congratulate you on your untiring efforts to evolve consensus.
We also welcome the inclusion of transition to sustainable lifestyles and sustainable patterns of consumption and production in our efforts to address climate change in the cover decision.
We note that we are establishing a 4 year work program on climate action in agriculture and food security.
Agriculture, the mainstay of livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers, will be hard hit from climate change. So, we should not burden them with mitigation responsibilities.
Indeed, India has kept mitigation in agriculture out of its NDCs.
We are also establishing a work program on just transition.
For most developing countries, just transition cannot be equated with decarbonization, but with low-carbon development.
Developing countries need independence in their choice of energy mix, and in achieving the SDGs.
Developed countries taking the lead in climate action is therefore a very important aspect of the global just transition.
Thank You Mr. President.”
Shri Bhupender Yadav speaking at the Closing Plenary of COP 27
Prime Minister's Office
Call on the Prime Minister by Mr. Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President
Mr. Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President H.E. Emmanuel Macron called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction on the progress both countries have made on key aspects of the India-France Strategic Partnership, including counter-terrorism, cyber-security, defence and strategic cooperation, etc.
Mr. Bonne also briefed the Prime Minister on India-France cooperation on various regional and global issues, including maritime and multilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister fondly recalled his recent exchanges with President Macron, and conveyed his best wishes for his health. He also reiterated his invitation to President Macron to visit India as soon as conditions permits.
Mr. Emmanuel Bonne is on a visit to India for the India-France Strategic Dialogue, held on January 7, 2021.
Prime Minister's Office
Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mr. Sergey Lavrov Calls on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation who is on a visit to India to participate in the Raisina Dialogue, called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today.
Foreign Minister Lavrov conveyed to the Prime Minister greetings from H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. The Prime Minister warmly reciprocated, the greetings and conveyed his best wishes for peace and prosperity of the Russian people in the New Year.
The Prime Minister referred to the wide-ranging conversation he had with President Putin over telephone on 13 January 2020, and noted the progress in the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries in the previous year.
Foreign Minister Lavrov conveyed that President Putin looked forward to the visit of the Prime Minister to Russia in May 2020 to participate in the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Victory Day, and in July 2020 for the BRICS and SCO Summits. Prime Minister welcomed multiple occasions this year to meet President Putin, and said that he also looked forward to hosting President Putin in India for the Annual Bilateral Summit later this year.
The Prime Minister noted that several important decisions and outcomes were reached between the two countries in 2019. He suggested that the year 2020, which is also the 20th anniversary year of the establishment of strategic partnership between India and the Russian Federation, should be the ‘year of implementation of those decisions’.
Foreign Minister Lavrov briefed the Prime Minister on Russia’s position on key international and regional issues.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Abolition of Casteism and Communalism
Whereas Casteism and Communalism are social evils which can be eliminated through social movements, this Ministry contributes to this effort by taking steps to abolish untouchability, providing level playing field for all to progress, and providing equal economic and educational opportunities for all. This Ministry also incentivises inter-caste marriages, where one of the spouses is a member of a Scheduled Caste. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued the Communal Harmony guidelines in 2008, suitable advisories and alert messages are sent to the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations from time to time. Activities of organizations having a bearing on communal harmony in the country are also kept under the watch of law enforcement agencies, and requisite legal action is taken, wherever necessary. This information was given by The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri A. Narayanaswamy in the Loksabha in a written reply today.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Kidney patients are more vulnerable to COVID-19infections
Management of patients on dialysis must be according to strict protocols to minimize risk
Guidelines available on International Society of Nephrology website
The COVID-19 pandemic is throwing up unique challenges for health systems. It presents particular challenges for patients who receive regular haemodialysis. These patients with damaged kidneys, also known as uremic patients, are particularly vulnerable to infection and may exhibit greater variations in clinical symptoms and infectivity.
"Unlike other at-risk individuals, these patients do not have the ability to stay at home and not interact with others. Despite the high risk they face, they must travel to dialysis centers 2–3 times every week. This significantly increases the risk of transmission of infection to patients themselves, family members, medical staff and facility workers, and all others,” says Prof. Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director, George Institute for Global Health India and President of the International Society of Nephrology. The involvement of kidney in COVID-19 infection seems to be frequent. When the infection is severe, it becomes an independent predictor of mortality.
In a paper entitled “The Novel Coronavirus 2019 epidemic and the Kidneys”, written by an expert group of nephrologists from around the world including China, it has been pointed out that all family members living with dialysis patients must follow the precautions and regulations given to patients to prevent person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 within the family. The precautions include body temperature measurement, good personal hygiene, handwashing, and prompt reporting of potentially sick people. The results of the study have been published in the Journal Kidney International.
The management of patients on dialysis who have been suspected to have been in contact with COVID-19 should be carried out according to strict protocols to minimize risk to other patients and healthcare personnel taking care of these patients,” said Prof. Jha. These guidelines have been made available on the International Society of Nephrology website.
As per earlier reports of SARS and MERS-CoV infections, acute kidney injury  had developed in 5 to15 percent cases and about 60 to 90 percent of those cases reported mortality. In the case of patients with COVID-19 infection, preliminary reports suggested a lower incidence  of AKI; but later reports indicate a higher frequency of kidney abnormalities. A study of 59 patients with COVID-19 found that about two-thirds of patients developed a massive leak of protein in urine during their stay in hospital.
It is recommended that persons with potential COVID-19 risk must be given the same supportive care as given to critically ill patients. Supportive care includes bed rest, nutritional and fluid support, maintenance of blood pressure and oxygenation, prevention and treatment of complications by providing organ support, maintaining hemodynamic stability, and preventing secondary infection.
Ministry of Education
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Shri G Kishan Reddy co- chair the General Body Meeting of the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati
North Eastern Region  is a land of unlimited opportunities and creativity - Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today chaired the General Body Meeting of Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati along with Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region , Shri G. Kishan Reddy. Nemcha Kipgen, Cabinet Minister, Government of Manipur and Officials of Skill Ministry and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region attended the meeting.
While addressing, Shri Pradhan said that North Eastern Region  is a land of unlimited opportunities and creativity. The Minister has called for a detailed roadmap for skilling 1 lakh+ youth of the region in next one year with focus on emerging areas and nurturing them as entrepreneurs. He further said IIE is working towards entrepreneurship development and capacity building with focus on the NER .
Shri Pradhan further added that making skilling aspirational and futuristic and leveraging entrepreneurship as a vehicle of socio-economic change can usher in a new era of development in the north-eastern region.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Department of Fertilizers observes Swachhata Pakhwada
Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India, along with 9 PSUs under its administrative control and 2 Cooperative Societies , observed the Swachhata Pakhwada from 1st September to 15th September, 2018.
A number of Swachhata related programmes and activities, as detailed below, were conducted in the Department of Fertilizers:-
 Placing of message from Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Ananthkumar on the website of the Department of Fertilizers
 Administering of pledge by Secretary, Fertilizers, Smt. Bharathi Sivaswami Sihag among the staff of the Department of Fertilizers
 Plantation of saplings by the senior officers of the Department of Fertilizers in the campus area of Shastri Bhawan
 Holding an Essay Competition on Swachhata related themes in which Staff of Department of Fertilizers participated. Four cash prizes  were also distributed to the Winners of Essay Competition
 Conducting a Shram Daan activity by the staff of Department of Fertilizers at Boat Club and its nearby places.
 Holding a Prize Award Ceremony in the Chamber of Secretary  on 28-09-2018. In the Ceremony, total 5 Swachhta Awards  were distributed by Secretary  to the following officers of Department of Fertilizers, 2 PSUs and 2 Cooperative Societies  :-
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Best PSU Award
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Sh. Manoj Mishra, CMD, National
Fertilizers Limited
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1st prize
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Sh. N.S. Rao, MD, KRIBHCO
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2nd prize
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Brig. Sh. Surender Kumar, Sr. GM, IFFCO
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3rd prize
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Sh. Neeraj Kumar, Asstt. Finance
Manager Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer
Corporation Limited 
During the Award Ceremony, Secretary, Fertilizers urged the PSUs and Cooperative Societies to carry on their efforts for sustainability of Swachhata, in addition to Pakhwada activities in such a way that improvement in the Swachhata in India may appear at global level. In the Prize Ceremony, Shri Dharam Pal, Additional Secretary, Smt. Alka Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Smt. Meenakshi Gupta, AS&FA, Shri Lal Sangrur, Economic Advisor, Shri Parthasarthi Sensharma, Joint Secretary and other Senior Officers were also present in the prize ceremony.
Prime Minister's Office
PM visits former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, visited former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee at AIIMS today.
The Prime Minister interacted with family members of Shri Vajpayee. He also spoke to Doctors and inquired about the health of Shri Vajpayee.
Shri Narendra Modi was at AIIMS for about 50 minutes.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
India adds 10 more wetlands designated as Ramsar sites to make total 64 sites
India adds 10 more wetlands designated as Ramsar sites to make total 64 sites covering an area of 12,50,361 ha in the country. The 10 new sites include: Six  sites in Tamil Nadu and One  each in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Designation of these sites would help in conservation and management of wetlands and wise use of their resources.
India is one of the Contracting Parties to Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. India signed it on 1st Feb 1982. So far 64 wetlands covering an area of 12,50,361 ha have been designated as Ramsar Sites of International Importance from India, till date.
10 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites
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S.No
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Name of wetland
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Area in Ha
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State
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Date of Designation
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Page No.
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-
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Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary
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72.04
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Tamil Nadu
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08-11-2021
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2-3
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-
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Satkosia Gorge
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98196.72
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Odisha
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12-10-2021
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4-5
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-
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Nanda Lake
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42.01
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Goa
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08-06-2022
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6-7
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-
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Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve
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52671.88
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Tamil Nadu
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08-04-2022
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8-9
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-
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Ranganathituu BS
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517.70
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Karnataka
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15-02-2022
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10-11
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-
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Vembannur Wetland Complex
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19.75
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Tamil Nadu
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|
08-04-2022
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12-13
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|
-
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Vellode Bird Sanctuary
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|
77.19
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|
Tamil Nadu
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08-04-2022
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14-15
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|
-
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Sirpur wetland
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|
161
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Madhya Pradesh
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07-01-2022
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16-17
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-
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Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary
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40.35
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Tamil Nadu
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08-04-2022
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18-19
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|
-
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Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary
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43.77
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Tamil Nadu
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08-04-2022
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20-21
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Total area of 10 wetlands
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1,51,842.41
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TOTAL area of 64 Ramsar Sites in India 
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12,50,361
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|
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Click to see brief of each site along with photographs.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
National highway work plan for Maharashtra enhanced to rupees 5801 crores: Nitin Gadkari
Delhi-Mumbai Greenfield Expressway to be extended till JNPT
‘Palkhi Marg’ with parallel pedestrian path to be built connecting Alandi and Dehu Road with Pandharpur.
Mumbai Jan 7, 2020
Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari today reviewed the progress of Highway Infrastructure projects in Maharashtra with Chief Minister Shri Udhhav Thackerey and senior officials in Mumbai.
Briefing media persons after the meeting, Shri Gadkari informed that the Centre has approved new National Highway projects worth Rs 5,801 crore rupees for Maharashtra under the Annual Plan. “The Annual Plan for NH works in Maharashtra was approved for Rs. 2,727 Cr. I got it enhanced to Rs. 5,801 Cr which will improve/ develop 1035 km of National Highways in the State” Shri Gadkari said.
This length includes development of 406 km length to two lanes with paved shoulder standards at cost of RS. 3,037 Cr. Also, reconstruction of 5 major bridges and 10 minor bridges have been included at cost of Rs. 429 Cr. In addition, Rs 1,800 crore rupees projects under the Central Road Fund scheme has also been sanctioned, Shri Gadkari said.
The Minister informed that the Rs 1 lakh crore greenfield Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be extended till JNPT, to facilitate container traffic. Shri Gadkari said the Maharashtra Government will partner in its construction by the means of GST exemption and royalty-free supply of steel and cement, which will be considered as State Government equity in the project.
"We are not only building roads we are also planting trees and creating infrastructure for safe movement of wildlife" said the Minister. He also informed that ‘Palkhi Marg’ connecting Pandharpur – Alandi and Pandharpur-Dehu Road will be constructed, which will have a parallel pedestrian track for Warkaris to undertake their pilgrimage to Pandharpur safely and comfortably.
Shri Gadkari further informed that in order to decongest Mumbai-Pune stretch of the National Highway, a separate North-South Highway corridor from Surat via Nashik – Ahmednagar – Solapur would be built for the traffic bound for the southern states.
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has built 3,771 km of concrete roads in Maharashtra. The target for construction during 2020-21 is 2,500 km out of which 1,394 km have so far been completed.
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Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Promotion of FPOs
Based on felt need, the Government of India has launched a Central Sector Scheme of “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmers Produce Organization ” for raising the income of farmers in the country including that in Jharkhand, under which professional handholding support is to be provided for a period of five years to the new FPOs formed under the scheme. Provision of financial assistance to the tune of Rs.18 lakhs to each FPOs under the scheme towards establishment cost for 3 years has been made. No state-wise target for financial assistance is provided under the scheme as the scheme is FPO centric.
In addition to this, provision has been made for matching equity grant upto Rs. 2,000 per farmer member of FPO with a limit of Rs. 15.00 lakh per FPO and a credit guarantee facility upto Rs. 2 crore of project loan per FPO from eligible lending institution to ensure institutional credit accessibility to FPOs. Suitable provision for skill buildings of the FPOs has been made.
Already a target 2200 FPOs during the Financial year 2020-21 has been allocated to the Implementing Agencies and Rs. 101.75 Crores has been released under the new scheme. So far, 32 FPOs already registered under new FPO scheme. Farmers are enthusiastically participating under the scheme for formation of FPOs. The process of registration of FPOs is already initiated.
Earlier also various organizations viz. SFAC, NABARD & DAY-NRLM have been promoting FPOs. Government of India through Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium , a registered society under Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, had been promoting Farmer Producer Organizations  by mobilizing the farmers, helping them in registering as companies and giving them training for improvement of their income and sustainability. SFAC has promoted 910 FPOs in the country out of which 10 FPOs are promoted in Jharkhand and 41 FPOs in Odisha.
In addition to above, under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission , Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, had been promoting FPOs by mobilizing farmers, building market linkages through a value chain development approach for farm based livelihood is an important strategy under this mission. DAY-NRLM has promoted 177 FPOs in the country out of which 15 FPOs are promoted in Jharkhand and 20 FPOs in Odisha.
Furthermore, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development  had been also promoting FPOs in the States. NABARD has promoted 4251 FPOs in the country out of which 176 FPOs are promoted in Jharkhand and 260 FPOs in Odisha.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Meet the Champion is a great way to create awareness on the importance of diet and fitness not just for this generation but for generations to come: Bhavani Devi
She came, she saw, she enthralled. Bhavani Devi inspired in her own simple way an audience representing 750 students across Chennai on Friday. This was a continuation of the ‘Meet the Champion' event, a brainchild of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and jointly organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Education.
Bhavani, the first-ever fencer to represent India at the sport in Olympics, spoke on the topic of ‘Santulit Aahar’ – balanced diet, sport and fitness, sharing anecdotes of her own humble beginnings and what she did to reach this stage of her life. The Tokyo 2020 Olympian stood 23rd in Istanbul earlier this month, thus registering her best-ever finish in a Fencing World Cup.
There were tears of joy at meeting a history-maker, bursts of anger for not being able to click a selfie with her and many other such emotions, and who better than Bhavani herself to put across how energetic the crowd was at the MCC Higher Secondary School in Chennai. “The energy from the students was amazing. They were all ready to listen and this allowed me to speak and the interaction went so well. Not just the students but the teachers as well. I could see the positive vibes in their eyes!” exclaimed Bhavani.
“Meet the Champion is a wonderful idea. Sports and nutrition are very important and this is how we can spread awareness, especially to the students because they are the next generation. They will pass this info over to the other generations,” commented Bhavani on the initiative. “Definitely, it will bring more passionate youngsters and will help them understand the importance of sports, fitness and nutrition in day to day life.”
Bhavani, set for a return to France for training in a couple of days, spoke on not just balanced nutrition and fitness but also anecdotes from her life on how she started playing, how she experienced competing in Tokyo, her hurdles in life and so on. She also played badminton with the school students post the interaction. “It was a great feeling and is a pleasure to play with her,” mentioned Pratiksha, a student of class 12 and a promising badminton player of the school.
Shivani, also a Class 12 science student, put across the entire experience brilliantly. “She is a really down to earth person who is also so very informative. She is a wonder woman for all us girls and she inspired not just me but all close to 1000 students and teachers present today."
“The biggest lesson I want to take forward from her is the sportiness. Even though she didn’t make it beyond the second round in the Tokyo Olympics, I liked the fact that she graciously moved forward and is still working hard and she still says that she wants to work harder. I so want to become like her!”